System and method of automating access to a videoconferencing room

ABSTRACT

A videoconferencing system and method of automating access to a videoconferencing room is provided. The videoconferencing system includes a reservation controller for comparing remote identifying information and local identifying information and for receiving a deposit. A payment collector is in communication with the reservation controller for receiving the deposit from the reservation controller. An access controller is in communication with the payment collector and the reservation controller for allowing access to the videoconferencing room if the remote identifying information matches the local identifying information. The method includes the steps of receiving remote identifying information, receiving local identifying information, comparing the local identifying information to the remote identifying information, and electronically unlocking a door of the videoconferencing room if the local identifying information matches the remote identifying information.

BACKGROUND

Various types of videoconferencing rooms are known in the art. Asvideoconferencing technology becomes more sophisticated, it is oftenmore cost-effective to reserve a public videoconferencing room than tobuild a private, state-of-the-art videoconferencing room. Therefore,publicly available videoconferencing rooms having sophisticatedtechnology are becoming popular among businesses and individuals thatrequire the occasional use of a videoconferencing room, but do not wantto furnish a private videoconferencing room with sophisticatedtechnology.

In general, public videoconferencing rooms require a room attendant tomake reservations and allow those with reservations (i.e., patrons)access to the videoconferencing room. The room attendant schedules thepatron to use the videoconferencing room at a room access time, grantsthe patron access the videoconferencing room at the room access time,collects deposits and payments from the patron, and enables theelectronic equipment in the videoconferencing room. In other words, thefunctionality of public videoconferencing rooms is essentially disabledwithout an attendant and access is limited to hours of operation when aroom attendant is present. Accordingly, the embodiments describedhereinafter were developed in light of these and other drawbacksassociated with known systems and methods for accessingvideoconferencing rooms.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an overhead view of a videoconferencing room in accordancewith an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a system for automating access to thevideoconferencing room in accordance with an embodiment; and

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method of automating access to thevideoconferencing room according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A videoconferencing system is provided that allows a patron to reserve avideoconferencing room remotely, access the videoconferencing room at aroom access time, and enable electronic equipment disposed within theroom at the room access time. The videoconferencing system includes areservation controller, a payment collector in communication with thereservation controller, and an access controller in communication withboth the reservation controller and the payment collector. The patronprovides remote identifying information to the reservation controller,and when the patron arrives at the videoconferencing room at the roomaccess time, the patron provides local identifying information to theaccess controller. The remote identifying information is compared to thelocal identifying information, and if the remote identifying informationmatches the local identifying information, the electronically controlleddoor of the videoconferencing room is unlocked and the patron is grantedaccess to the videoconferencing room.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a videoconferencing room10 having an electronically controlled door 12, a table 14, chairs 16,and electronic equipment 18. The electronic equipment 18 may include,but is not limited to, a telephone 20, a computer 22 or server(hereinafter, “computer”), and one or more display monitors 24. It is tobe understood that the electronic equipment 18 may include any number oftelephones 22, computers 24, or display monitors 24 arranged in anyconfiguration within the videoconferencing room 10. For example, some orall of the electronic equipment 18 may be hidden from view orunavailable for patrons to access while using the videoconferencing room10. As shown in FIG. 1, the computer 22 is disposed behind the displaymonitors 24, while the telephone 20 is on the table 14 and accessible tothe patrons. The telephone 20 may instead be mounted to a wall of thevideoconferencing room 10. Alternatively, some or all of the electronicequipment 18 may be disposed outside the videoconferencing room 10 or inanother room. Although not shown, the videoconferencing room 10 may alsoinclude other electronic equipment 18, including, but not limited to,cameras, speakers, microphones, a keyboard, a mouse, a remote control, avoice recognition device, an amplifier, other audio/video transmitting,receiving, or processing equipment.

Referring now to FIG. 2, an exemplary videoconferencing system 26 usedwith the videoconferencing room 10 is shown. The videoconferencingsystem 26 includes a reservation controller 28 that may be used by thepatron to reserve the videoconferencing room 10. The reservationcontroller 28 is configured to receive identifying information from thepatron such as, but not limited to, the patron's name, account number,credit card number, date of birth, biometric information, informationstored on a unique token (i.e., a smart card), a secret word or phrase,or any other identifying feature or combination of identifying features.The reservation controller 28 may further be used to receive a depositfrom the patron. The reservation controller 28 may be accessed by thepatron through any suitable means, including but not limited to, webaccess via the Internet, telephone, or directly through a user interfaceat the videoconferencing room 10 location. For purposes of explanation,this identifying information that is received by the reservationcontroller 28 is referred to hereinafter as “remote” identifyinginformation, regardless as to the physical location from which thereservation controller 28 is accessed, or the method by whichcommunication with the reservation controller 28 is established.

The videoconferencing system 26 may include a payment collector 30 incommunication with the reservation controller 28 for receiving thedeposit from the reservation controller 28. Specifically, thereservation controller 28 may include a deposit collector 32 incommunication with the payment collector 30. The deposit collector 32routes payment information to the payment collector 30, and the paymentcollector 30 accepts the deposit and may credit the patron's accountwith the deposit. The payment collector 30 may or may not be physicallylocated at the videoconferencing room 10 location.

In addition, the videoconferencing system 26 includes an accesscontroller 34 in communication with reservation controller 28 and thepayment collector 30. Specifically, the access controller 34 receivesthe remote identifying information from the reservation controller 28.As shown in FIG. 1, the access controller 34 in one embodiment isdisposed outside the videoconferencing room 10 to receive localidentifying information from the patron and allow the patron access tothe videoconferencing room 10 if the remote identifying informationmatches the local identifying information. Like the remote identifyinginformation, the local identifying information may include, but is notlimited to, the patron's name, account number, credit card number, dateof birth, biometric information, information stored on a unique toke(i.e., a smart card), a secret word or phrase, or any other identifyingfeature or combination of identifying features. The patron provides thelocal identifying information to the access controller 34. Once both theremote identifying information and the local identifying information areknown, the access controller 34 may determine whether to grant thepatron access to the videoconferencing room 10 based upon predeterminedentrance criteria.

The videoconferencing system 26 may further include a remote inputdevice 36 in communication with the reservation controller 28. Theremote input device 36 may be located at a remote location relative tothe videoconferencing room 10 and configured to receive the remoteidentifying information from the patron and transmit the remoteidentifying information to the reservation controller 28. In addition,the remote input device 36 is in communication with the depositcollector 32 for receiving the deposit from the patron and transmittingthe deposit to the deposit collector 32. The remote input device 36 maybe any device known in the art for receiving the remote identifyinginformation and the deposit. For instance, the remote input device 36may include a computer having a keyboard or a telephone to allow thepatron to make a reservation for the videoconferencing room 10 via theInternet or by telephone. Also, the keyboard may allow the patron toinput the remote identifying information. Therefore, the remote inputdevice 36 may connect to the reservation controller 28 through anynetwork, such as the Internet or a telephone network. In addition, theremote input device 36 may include a remote card reader for receivingthe deposit via a credit card or a subscription card. Furthermore, theremote input device 36 may be configured to receive biometricinformation or read unique tokens (i.e., smart cards).

The reservation controller 28 may further include a scheduler 38 incommunication with the remote input device 36 for receiving a roomaccess time from the remote input device 36. The scheduler 38 is incommunication with the access controller 34 for allowing the accesscontroller 34 to determine whether to grant the patron access to thevideoconferencing room 10.

In one embodiment, the access controller 34 includes a local inputdevice 40, a comparator 42 and an enabling device 46. The comparator 42is configured to receive the local identifying information from thepatron. Specifically, the patron may input the local identifyinginformation into the local input device 40. The local input device 40may be any input device known in the art. For instance, the local inputdevice 40 may be a keyboard or a voice recognition device. Afterreceiving both the remote identifying information and the localidentifying information, the videoconferencing system 26 can determinewhether the patron present at the videoconferencing room 10 should begranted access to the videoconferencing room 10. In one embodiment, thevideoconferencing system 26 would grant access to only the patron whomade the reservation. In another embodiment, the videoconferencingsystem 26 may grant access to a patron other than the patron whoreserved the videoconferencing room 10. For instance, thevideoconferencing system 26 may grant access to the patron's clients orassociates. Also, this embodiment would allow for the patron's assistantto make the reservation for the patron and the patron's clients andassociates.

The comparator 42 is in communication with the remote input device 36and the local input device 40 and is configured to compare the remoteidentifying information to the local identifying information. If theremote identifying information matches the local identifyinginformation, the door 12 of the videoconferencing room 10 is unlocked togrant the patron access to the videoconferencing room 10. The accesscontroller 34 may further include a local card reader 44 incommunication with the comparator 42 for receiving a credit card,subscription card, or any other card having local identifyinginformation or authorizing a payment. The comparator 42 may receive thelocal identifying information from the local card reader 44, or receivea payment from the patron and transmit the payment to the paymentcollector 30. Alternatively, the local input device 40 or the cardreader 44 may be configured to receive biometric data or unique tokens(i.e., smart cards).

The enabling device 46 is in communication with the reservationcontroller 28, and specifically, the scheduler 38 and the comparator 42.The enabling device 46 enables the electronic equipment 18 disposedwithin the room at the room access time. A door lock 48, such as anactuator, is in communication with the enabling device 46 and actuatesthe door lock 48 to allow access into the videoconferencing room 10 viathe electronically controlled door 12. In addition, the enabling device46 is in communication with the electronic equipment 18 including, butnot limited to, the computer 22, display monitors 24, and telephone 20.

The access controller 34 may further include a timer 50 in communicationwith the enabling device 46 and the computer 22, telephone 20, displaymonitor 24, or other electronic equipment 18 for disabling the computer22, telephone 20, display monitors 24, or other electronic equipment 18after the room access time has lapsed. In addition to the timer 50disabling the electronic equipment 18 in the videoconferencing room 10,to ensure that the videoconferencing room 10 is not occupied beyond theroom access time, the videoconferencing room 10 may include motiondetectors or another device capable of detecting a presence in thevideoconferencing room 10. In one embodiment, the videoconferencing room10 may further include an alarm that produces a loud sound to encouragethose in the videoconferencing room 10 beyond the room access time toleave. The alarm may be activated in response to the room access timelapsing or in response to the motion detectors detecting a presence inthe videoconferencing room 10 beyond the room access time. In anotherembodiment, the motion detectors may notify a room attendant outside thevideoconferencing room 10 that a patron is still present in thevideoconferencing room 10 beyond the room access time. In yet anotherembodiment, the room attendant may simply view images received fromcameras disposed in the videoconferencing room 10 to determine whetherpatrons are in the videoconferencing room 10 beyond the room accesstime.

The electronic equipment 18 (i.e., the telephone 20, the computer 22,and the display monitors 24, among others) are in communication with anetwork 52 via a wired, wireless, fiber optic, or any other suitableconnection. The network 52 allows each piece of the electronic equipment18 to communicate with other devices disposed outside thevideoconferencing room 10. For instance, the network 52 allows thedisplay monitor 24 to receive video images of other videoconferencingrooms. In addition, the telephone 20 may use the network 52 tocommunicate with other telephones outside the videoconferencing room.Furthermore, the computer 22 may act as a server once connected to thenetwork 52.

In one embodiment, the remote input device 36 and the local input device40 are combined within the access controller 34, or other user interface(not shown), such that both the remote identifying information and thelocal identifying information are collected using the same device. Thiswould allow a patron to reserve the videoconferencing room 10 at thevideoconferencing room 10 location without having to use a telephone orthe Internet.

In yet another embodiment, the local input device 40, access controller34, or other user interface can be used to grant access to thevideoconferencing room 10 on an ad hoc basis. In this way, the localinput device 40 or access controller 34 communicates directly with thedeposit collector 32 and the scheduler 38 to both designate a roomaccess time or duration (i.e., for one hour beginning now) and to paythe deposit and/or payment immediately, provided that the scheduler 38does not indicate that the videoconferencing room 10 is alreadyreserved. In other words, the patron will be granted immediate access tothe videoconferencing room 10 as long as there are no conflictsdetermined by the scheduler 38.

Referring now to FIG. 3, an exemplary method 100 of automating access tothe videoconferencing room 10 is provided. It is to be understood thatthe steps of the method 100 may be performed in an order other thanshown or described herein. Also, some of the steps may be performedsimultaneously with one or more other steps of the method 100. Themethod 100 includes a step 102 of receiving the remote identifyinginformation. As discussed above, the remote identifying information maybe received at the time the videoconferencing room 10 is reserved. Next,the method 100 may include a step 104 of electronically receiving adeposit that may be received at the time the videoconferencing room 10is reserved. The method 100 may further include a step 106 ofdesignating a room access time, which may include receiving a proposedroom access time and comparing the proposed room access time topreviously received room access times. If the videoconferencing room 10is available during the proposed room access time, then the proposedroom access time becomes the room access time. Otherwise, the patron maybe given an opportunity to provide a different proposed room accesstime. The proposed room access time may be received at the remote inputdevice 36 at the time the reservation for the videoconferencing room 10is made. Next, the method 100 includes a step 108 of receiving localidentifying information. As described above, the local identifyinginformation is generally received at the room access time. At step 110the local identifying information is compared to the remote identifyinginformation. The method 100 then includes a step 112 of electronicallyunlocking the door 12 of the videoconferencing room 10 if the localidentifying information matches the remote identifying information. Inone embodiment, the step 112 of electronically unlocking the door mayinclude actuating the door lock 52.

In addition to comparing the local identifying information previouslydiscussed, the step 110 of comparing the local identifying informationto the remote identifying information may include determining the localtime and comparing the local time to the room access time. Thevideoconferencing system 26 may allow for the patron to access thevideoconferencing room 10 only at the room access time or thevideoconferencing system 26 may allow for the patron to access thevideoconferencing room 10 earlier than the room access time. Therefore,in this embodiment, the step 112 of electronically unlocking the door 12may be further defined as electronically unlocking the door 12 if thelocal time is within a predetermined range of time relative to the roomaccess time. The predetermined range of time may be any amount of time.For instance, the predetermined range of time may be set to fifteenminutes to allow the patron to enter the videoconferencing room 10 earlyto prepare for the videoconference. Alternatively, the predeterminedrange of time may be set to 0 minutes to ensure that the patron may onlyaccess the room during the room access time.

In addition to step 112 of electronically unlocking the door 12, themethod 100 may further include steps 114 and 116, respectively, ofenabling and disabling the electronic equipment 18. It is to beunderstood that the step 114 of enabling the electronic equipment 18 andthe step 116 of disabling the electronic equipment may include enablingand disabling at least one of the telephone 20, the computer 22, and thedisplay monitor 26. Finally, the method 100 may include a step 118 ofelectronically receiving a payment. It is to be understood that thepayment may be received at the room access time, or the payment may bereceived at any time before or after the room access time.

In another embodiment, the method 100 may only receive identifyinginformation at the local input device 40. In other words, the patronwould not need to provide the remote identifying information. In thisembodiment, the method 100 may include the step 108 of receiving localidentifying information from the patron via the local input device 40,and the step 106 of designating a room access time, which, as in theprevious embodiment, may include receiving a proposed room access timeand comparing the proposed room access time to previously received roomaccess times. If the videoconferencing room 10 is available during theproposed room access time, then the proposed room access time becomesthe room access time. Then, the method 100 may include automaticallygranting access to the videoconferencing room based on the room accesstime and the identifying information. This embodiment of method 100 maybe used if the patron arrives at the videoconferencing room 10 without areservation or without having previously provided remote identifyinginformation but would still like to use the videoconferencing room.

It is to be understood that the above description is intended to beillustrative and not restrictive. Many embodiments and applicationsother than the examples provided would be apparent to those skilled inthe art upon reading the above description. The scope of the inventionshould be determined, not with reference to the above description, butshould instead be determined with reference to the appended claims,along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims areentitled. It is anticipated and intended that future developments willoccur in the arts discussed herein, and that the disclosed systems andmethods will be incorporated into such future embodiments. In sum, itshould be understood that the invention is capable of modification andvariation and is limited only by the following claims.

All terms used in the claims are intended to be given their broadestreasonable constructions and their ordinary meanings as understood bythose skilled in the art unless an explicit indication to the contraryis made herein. In particular, use of the singular articles such as “a,”“the,” “said,” etc. should be read to recite one or more of theindicated elements unless a claim recites an explicit limitation to thecontrary.

1. A method of automating access to a videoconferencing room, saidmethod comprising the steps of: receiving remote identifying informationfor reservation of said videoconferencing room at a specified roomaccess time; receiving local identifying information; comparing thelocal identifying information to the remote identifying information; andelectronically unlocking a door of the videoconferencing room if thelocal identifying information matches the remote identifyinginformation; wherein electronically unlocking the door compriseselectronically unlocking the door if a local time is within apredetermined range of time relative to the room access time so that auser may access the videoconferencing room for preparation prior to theroom access time.
 2. A method as set forth in claim 1 further comprisingelectronically receiving at least one of a deposit and a payment.
 3. Amethod as set forth in claim 1 further comprising designating the roomaccess time.
 4. A method as set forth in claim 3 wherein designating theroom access time comprises: receiving a proposed room access time; andcomparing the proposed room access time to previously reserved roomaccess times.
 5. A method as set forth in claim 1 further comprisingreceiving payment for use of said videoconferencing room with a cardreader that is also used for receiving said local identifyinginformation at the videoconferencing room.
 6. A method as set forth inclaim 1 further comprising using a camera in the videoconferencing roomto remotely verify that the room has been vacated after expiration of atime period associated with said reservation
 5. 7. A videoconferencingsystem comprising: a reservation controller; an access controller incommunication with said reservation controller, said access controllerbeing configured to allow access to a videoconferencing room byunlocking an electronic door lock of said videoconferencing room andenabling equipment within said videoconferencing room if remoteidentifying information received by the reservation controller when areservation for the videoconferencing room was made matches localidentifying information input at the videoconferencing room to gainaccess thereto; a timer for timing use of said videoconferencing room,wherein said access controller disables said equipment within saidvideoconferencing room upon said timer indicating that a time for usingsaid videoconferencing room associated with said reservation haselapsed.
 8. A system as set forth in claim 7 further comprising a remoteinput device in communication with said reservation controller, saidremote input device being configured to receive the remote identifyinginformation and a deposit.
 9. A system as set forth in claim 8 whereinsaid access controller includes a local input device for receiving thelocal identifying information.
 10. A system as set forth in claim 9wherein said access controller includes a comparator in communicationwith said remote input device and said local input device, saidcomparator being configured to compare the remote identifyinginformation to the local identifying information.
 11. A system as setforth in claim 10 wherein said access controller includes a local cardreader in communication with said comparator.
 12. A system as set forthin claim 8 wherein said reservation controller includes a depositcollector in communication with said remote input device, said depositcollector being configured to receive the deposit from said remote inputdevice.
 13. A system as set forth in claim 12 further comprising apayment collector in communication with said reservation controller. 14.A system as set forth in claim 8 wherein said reservation controllerincludes a scheduler in communication with said remote input device,said scheduler being configure to receive a room access time from saidremote input device.
 15. A system as set forth in claim 7 wherein saidaccess controller includes an audible alarm for sounding an audiblealarm within said videoconferencing room after said timer has indicatedthat the time for using said videoconferencing room associated with saidreservation has elapsed and after said access controller disables saidequipment within said videoconferencing room to encourage a user in saidvideoconferencing room after the time associated said reservation haselapsed to leave said video conferencing room.
 16. A system as set forthin claim 7 further comprising motion detectors within saidvideoconferencing room for detecting an unauthorized presence in saidvideoconferencing room after the time associated said reservation haselapsed.
 17. A method of reserving a videoconferencing room comprising:receiving identifying information associated with a subscription to usesaid videoconferencing room; designating a room access time; andautomatically granting access to the videoconferencing room based on theroom access time and presentation of a subscription card associated withsaid subscription.
 18. A method as set forth in claim 17 whereindesignating the room access time comprises: receiving a proposed roomaccess time; and comparing the proposed room access time to previouslyreserved room access times.
 19. A method as set forth in claim 18further comprising: determining a local time; and comparing the localtime to the room access time.
 20. A method as set forth in claim 17wherein automatically granting access is further defined aselectronically unlocking a door of the videoconferencing room.